1. Field
The invention relates to a basketball return apparatus that can be attached to a basketball hoop at any angle relative to the basketball backboard to which the basketball hoop is attached, and can capture both made and missed basketball shots and return the basketball towards a desired direction. More particularly, the invention relates to a basketball return apparatus that a person can easily attach to and detach from a basketball hoop without requiring the person climb up to the basketball hoop or lower the basketball hoop.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 C.F.R. 1.97 and 1.98
Basketball shooting is an important fundamental skill to basketball players. Basketball players often spend substantial amount of time practicing basketball shooting. Basketball players often practice basketball shooting by taking repetitive shots from one location on a basketball court, and then repeat the same process at different locations on the basketball court. In doing so, basketball players can improve their ability to make basketball shots from different angles or distances on the basketball court. However, unless there is another person retrieving basketball rebounds for a basketball player, the basketball player must spend time retrieving basketball rebounds for himself or herself, which results in less efficient shooting practice as the basketball player spends less time on actual shooting practice. Moreover, the constant interruption to retrieve basketball rebounds adversely affects the basketball player's shooting rhythm that he or she tries to build up through the shooting practice.
As most basketball shooting practices involve taking numerous basketball shots over a period of time, it is difficult for a basketball player to keep track of his or her shooting statistics (such as the numbers of basketball shots attempted, made, and missed) while focusing on perfecting his or her basketball shooting skill. There is therefore a need to provide a mechanism that can automatically record shooting statistics for a basketball player.
Several basketball return devices had been introduced in recent years. However, those devices have drawbacks. U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,680 discloses a basketball practice device consists of a rigid structure that deflects rather than collects poorly shot basketball. The device disclosed therein is securely clamped to a basketball hoop, which would require a person climbing up to the basketball hoop or lowering the basketball hoop in order to dismount the device from the basketball hoop. The mounting or dismounting process is cumbersome, and often times unsafe. U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,211 discloses a basketball return device that is mounted to a basketball hoop or the net hanging below the basketball hoop. This device, however, cannot collect missed basketball shots. U.S. Pat. No. 8,012,046 discloses a bulky basketball return device. This device includes a large netting structure that requires a basketball player shoot basketballs with trajectory high enough to pass over the netting structure. Further, the netting structure prohibits basketball shots from close range. Another drawback of the netting structure is that it obstructs (at least partially) the basketball player's view to the basketball hoop. None of the devices described above has the capability of providing shooting statistics to a basketball player.